


Tinnitus

by Monsieur_Grenouille



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: College AU, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monsieur_Grenouille/pseuds/Monsieur_Grenouille
Summary: Joe is worried about Patrick, his roommate.
Relationships: Patrick Stump/Joe Trohman
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Tinnitus

**Author's Note:**

> It’s only Monday and I already have a headache. I actually had a headache last night. The mere thought of actually doing stuff pushes me past the breaking point. I’m trying to do everything I can to get rid of my headache without using Tylenol or ibuprofen. 
> 
> Medicine is a last resort. Backstreet Boys music seems to work, ironically.

Joe stretched out on the bed, placing his headphones over his ears. He connected to Bluetooth and went to Spotify, waiting through an advertisement before actually getting to his Metallica playlist. He looked up at the ceiling to notice a new stain on the formerly white surface. “Jesus Christ...” he muttered. 

Where did this college thing end? The rent, being broke, loud neighbors, et cetera. If it could ever amount to anything, it was making Joe excited to go to his parents house for things like holiday parties and birthday celebrations. He had a roommate, Patrick, who seemed to understand his problems on a fair level, but not enough. At least Patrick got good grades. 

As the music blasted in his ears, Joe started to wonder if Patrick was gay. The dude did theater and wore lycra vests, and he watched a lot of Joel McHale films (not for the comedy). However, Patrick never talked about boys or showed particular interest towards the male species. Maybe he was one of those people who liked who they liked and didn’t give a damn. Joe remembered they were called pansexuals. 

Because pan is the Greek prefix for _all_ , and it’s kind of obvious what the _sexual_ part of the word means. 

But Patrick didn’t seem all too interested in finding a soulmate or even a short term lover. He kept to himself, didn’t go to parties, and spent the majority of his time studying. He was a model student if you didn’t see how sad he looked. For a second, Joe wanted to find him and take all the sadness away. Maybe not all of it, but just enough to prevent Patrick from going past the breaking point at any time soon. But for now, Joe was just going to sit here and listen to music with his free Spotify account. 

*******************

That night, Joe found Patrick sitting down in front of his old wooden desk with an EMT test prep book in front of him. He was scritching away at paper with his pencil, muttering the questions as he read them. Joe walked up from behind him to read over his shoulder. “You’re not even becoming an EMT,” he pointed out. 

Patrick hissed at him. “I just like to know things, okay? You never know when someone’s going to get hurt.” 

Joe pulled up a chair next to him. “What if someone’s hurt mentally?” 

“Then they should see a therapist with a psychology degree.” Patrick sniffled and didn’t take his eyes off the paper. “It’s not my effing problem.” He clenched his teeth, clearly trying to push down his pent up frustration. His eyes were red and puffy, from what Joe could tell. 

The curly haired boy cleared his throat. “You need to stop working on things you don’t need, Patrick. It’s taking a mental toll on you, and you’re overstressed.” 

“No. I’m. Not,” Patrick set down his pencil and took a deep breath. “I can calm down any time I want. See?” He turned to face Joe. He was looking worse than ever. Dark circles nested around his red and sunken eyes. He was pale everywhere else, and he just so happened to be shaking. 

Joe bit his lip. “You need to get some sleep, dude. I know what it feels like in your position. I know you’d rather die than live one more day. Literally.” 

Patrick slammed his head down on the desk. “I’m not depressed,” he sighed, “I have tinnitus and it’s just getting insane. The ringing in my ears— god.” He chuckled weakly and closed his eyes. “But yeah, I’m tired.” He kept his eyes closed and allowed his breathing to slow down.

Joe tapped Patrick’s shoulder, “You have tinnitus?” he repeated. 

Patrick groaned, “It’s not a big deal. It’s just a condition.” 

Joe put his hand over Patrick’s like an apologetic doctor. “You know that tinnitus is caused by intense stress and anxiety?” 

Patrick kept his head on the desk. “Mhm.” 

“So... you know it won’t get any better if you don’t talk about it?” 

“Wtf is the _it_ in this statement?” 

Joe lowered his voice even though they were alone. “You know what I’m referring to. You’re quiet, you isolate yourself, and you bury your feelings. You don’t sleep much but when you do, you’re in bed for a whole weekend. You haven’t eaten in days, either. I know that something’s wrong.” 

“You think I thought you wouldn’t notice?” Patrick tilted his head to look at Joe. “I’m not dumb. I knew you would notice, but I thought you wouldn’t care. We barely talk to each other, we’re complete opposite people, and I don’t even know your last name.” He scoffed and closed his book. 

Joe leaned over and rested his chin on Patrick’s arm. “My last name is Trohman,” he informed, “And I care about you. I want to help you. I was actually thinking about you when I was home alone today.” 

Patrick coughed, “That’s awkward, Joe. I mean, it’s cool that you’re open about it, but I’ve never had anyone admit that to me before.” He blushed through his ivory complexion. 

It took a second for Joe to understand. When he did, he was blushing, too. “Not... Not like that. Well, I probably have before, but not today. I was thinking about how sad you always are and how I wanted to make you feel okay.” 

“Really?” Patrick cracked a wan smile at him. 

Joe nodded. “I was also contemplating your sexuality, but that’s not important.” 

Patrick hesitated. “I’m not really sure about that,” he said. 

“What’re you not so sure about?” 

“What part of the spectrum I fall on... sexuality-wise. I think I’m pansexual, but it really really fluctuates. It doesn’t matter anyway. I got a lot on my mind and nobody wants me, so–“ 

Joe involuntarily ducked his head to press his lips against Patrick’s. He didn’t care what was going on. He didn’t care if he was a good kisser. He didn’t care how long they’d known each other or how often they’ve talked. He didn’t care, period.

Patrick pulled away. “You don’t have to do that, you know?” 

Joe reached down to hold his hand. “I wanted to. It’s stress relief for the both of us, actually. Also, kissing burns approximately 4.6 calories per minute.” 

Patrick rolled his eyes. “Nerd.” He suddenly got an idea, making his whole face light up. “Wanna exercise?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Clean comments.


End file.
